Community Forums

fisher99 · 08-16-2021, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnLoves2Sk

I have seen something like this before, but you will need a fabricator to help you out.
Get a floor jack that has a wide stance but short wheelbase. Ensure that the lift pad that touches the vehicle is removeable (most are, they just have a fat pin under them that slide into a round opening on the business end of the Jack)

Have a fabricator take a couple of pipe stubs that will fit in the equalizer spring holes, and weld them to a piece of plate. Set the hitch on this, and find center of balance of the assembly. Weld a pipe stub underneath the plate at the center of balance that will slip into the jack where the lift pad used to be.

Now just roll the floor jack under the hitch, jack it up while aligning the posts on the adaptor plate to the holes under the hitch. As soon as it lifts the hitch a bit, remove the hitch pin and pull the jack back. Lower it, and drive it to a convenient parking place.

Cheers!

A nice solultion although the newer equalizer hitches like mine don't have vertical holes for the equalizer bars. They are horizontal, square openings for the bars to slide in. But yes, a person with the appropriate talent and tools could definitely fabricate something that would work with a floor jack (or pay someone to fabricate it for them). Or just buy the transmission jack adapter plate that I linked in my post #39 of this thread. Not as elegant as a custom build but should do the job.

x

fisher99 · 08-18-2021, 05:49 PM

Was at Harbor Freight today and saw this transmission jack. Looks to be almost the perfect hitch caddie. Reasonably small 15x16" footprint. Raises to 23" height but drops to 7" for storage. Almost bought it, but still seriously considering the electric ceiling hoist option. https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb...ack-61232.html

What I did buy, for a whopping $3.97 is this furniture dolly. It's triangular and only about 8" across. Figured it was cheap enough to be worth a shot. Thought it might be too small but my hitch sits perfectly on the dolly, almost like it was made specifically for that purpose. Rolls around nicely on my concrete garage floor too. That solves the problem of moving the hitch from storage over to the truck and only leaves the issue of lifting it to insert it into the receiver (or remove it). As was mentioned in an earlier post, my HitchGrip makes that process a bit easier, so maybe I'll find that this is enough of a solution. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-whee...lly-68902.html

Although I still really want to do the electric ceiling host thing...

x

GypsyR · 08-18-2021, 09:39 PM

So basically a short wheeled stool was your solution? I've been following just to see what kind of electro-hydraulic Boston Dynamics type thingamajig you were eventually going to end up with.
A low to the ground four dollar wheelie thingie. I have to say I'm a little disappointed.

Ldubs · 08-18-2021, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisher99

Was at Harbor Freight today and saw this transmission jack. Looks to be almost the perfect hitch caddie. Reasonably small 15x16" footprint. Raises to 23" height but drops to 7" for storage. Almost bought it, but still seriously considering the electric ceiling hoist option. https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb...ack-61232.html

What I did buy, for a whopping $3.97 is this furniture dolly. It's triangular and only about 8" across. Figured it was cheap enough to be worth a shot. Thought it might be too small but my hitch sits perfectly on the dolly, almost like it was made specifically for that purpose. Rolls around nicely on my concrete garage floor too. That solves the problem of moving the hitch from storage over to the truck and only leaves the issue of lifting it to insert it into the receiver (or remove it). As was mentioned in an earlier post, my HitchGrip makes that process a bit easier, so maybe I'll find that this is enough of a solution. https://www.harborfreight.com/3-whee...lly-68902.html

Although I still really want to do the electric ceiling host thing...

x

That transmission jack looks like a perfect solution for the hitch remove or install. The ceiling hoist would be useful for lots of things.

BTW, I had HF's metal version of that 3-wheel dolly. Mine didn't last very long. Hope yours do better.

fisher99 · 08-18-2021, 11:54 PM

@GypsyR: Ha! Yeah, I hear you! I'm treating the dolly and HitchGrip as a short term solution. I already had the HitchGrip and the dolly was only $3.97 so as a stopgap, it's progress. At least I don't have to carry the hitch across the garage anymore.

Longer term I will either go with an electric hoist on a ceiling mounted trolly, the Harbor Freight transmission jack (https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb...a=MXxOfDB8WXww), or this motorcycle lift (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B7VQLXV...dDbGljaz10cnVl).

Each of those 3 options has advantages and disadvantages, but I'm leaning heavily towards the electric ceiling hoist as it seems to have the most flexibility and opens up possibilities for other uses. A Boston Dynamics robot would be great, but unfortunately I'll have to settle with something much more mundane...

fisher99 · 08-18-2021, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldubs

That transmission jack looks like a perfect solution for the hitch remove or install. The ceiling hoist would be useful for lots of things.

BTW, I had HF's metal version of that 3-wheel dolly. Mine didn't last very long. Hope yours do better.

Yeah, we'll see, but for $3.97, if it breaks, it's no big deal. Still, as little as I will actually be rolling it around, maybe it will hold up. I'll still need a dolly for the hitch if I go with the ceiling hoist but if I go with either of the lifts that I linked in my prevous post the dolly will become surplus anyway.

ace123 · 12-12-2021, 04:16 PM

I bolted a receiver hitch on the tongue of my TT, and store my hitch head there.

Ldubs · 12-13-2021, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ace123

I bolted a receiver hitch on the tongue of my TT, and store my hitch head there.

That is a pretty good idea!

If I didn't have to swap out hitches for the boat vs the travel trailer, I would just leave the hitch on the truck.

fisher99 · 12-13-2021, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ace123

I bolted a receiver hitch on the tongue of my TT, and store my hitch head there.

Not a bad idea for a storage solution. But you still have to muscle the hitch from one place to another. Still, worth considering....

carybosse · 12-13-2021, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldubs

That is a pretty good idea!

If I didn't have to swap out hitches for the boat vs the travel trailer, I would just leave the hitch on the truck.

As I understand, in some states leaving the hitch in the receiver is verbotten. My shins do not like it when someone does that and I cross paths in a parking lot.

I typically only store my hitch in my receiver when I am on a trip. It adds 8-10 inches of length to my truck that I have to deal with when parallel parking, something I do at least one a week.

dbircky · 12-13-2021, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carybosse

As I understand, in some states leaving the hitch in the receiver is verbotten. My shins do not like it when someone does that and I cross paths in a parking lot.

I typically only store my hitch in my receiver when I am on a trip. It adds 8-10 inches of length to my truck that I have to deal with when parallel parking, something I do at least one a week.

What states are those? If someone is walking that close to the bumper, their shoulder is within inches of the tailgate. As long as the license plate isn’t obstructed, I don’t know where it’s illegal. By the same logic bicycle racks and hitch haulers would also be illegal to leave in when not in use.

Me thinks this is yet another urban/internet myth.

carybosse · 12-13-2021, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbircky

What states are those? If someone is walking that close to the bumper, their shoulder is within inches of the tailgate. As long as the license plate isn’t obstructed, I don’t know where it’s illegal. By the same logic bicycle racks and hitch haulers would also be illegal to leave in when not in use.

Me thinks this is yet another urban/internet myth.

Actually, I think, as my memory cells work overtime, it was a Canada issue more so than a US issue.

Law enforcement could use it as an excuse to pull you over if it obscured the license plate and they were looking for a reason.

I have seen hitches that easily extend 8-10 inches behind a vehicle. When trying to walk between cars in a parking lot, as an example, they can make the difference between free passage.

On the other hand, a lot of people use them as a brand of hitch bump stop.

https://www.weathertech.com/bumpstep...RoChlwQAvD_BwE

GypsyR · 12-13-2021, 03:47 PM

I'm not fond of excessive laws but that doesn't sound terrible. I swear I have a hitch shaped dent in my right shin bone from years ago. And ever since, if there's not something on my hitch, the receiver IS empty. And it wasn't even my own hitch that I hit. I can't force others to pull their hitches but I can sure talk some smack about my immediately family. They don't leave their hitches in either. At least not where I can see them.

Ldubs · 12-13-2021, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbircky

What states are those? If someone is walking that close to the bumper, their shoulder is within inches of the tailgate. As long as the license plate isn’t obstructed, I don’t know where it’s illegal. By the same logic bicycle racks and hitch haulers would also be illegal to leave in when not in use.

Me thinks this is yet another urban/internet myth.

I actually think someone's shoulder would have to be rubbing against my tailgate if they were walking that close to my bumper.